Intelligence indicates that foreign adversaries, including Russia and China, have instructed the services to recruit U.S. federal employees working in the national security sphere. They are targeting those who have been fired or candidates for dismissal. This was reported by CNN, according to UNN.
Russia and China are focusing their efforts on recently laid-off employees with security clearances and probationary employees who may have valuable information about critical U.S. infrastructure and vital government bureaucracy. At least two countries have already set up recruitment sites and started aggressively searching for federal employees on LinkedIn,
Another CNN source said adversaries believe the employees are “most vulnerable right now,” and a third source emphasized: “federal employees who have been thrown to the curb are extremely attractive targets for our competitors' intelligence services.
Recall
William Alsup, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., on February 27 refused to suspend the massive firings of federal employees ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump as part of his efforts to dismantle the government's bureaucracy.
Five former defense secretaries condemned US President Donald Trump's firing of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and several other senior military officials. They called on Congress to hold hearings and hold Trump accountable.
In January 2025, Trump signed an executive order to reduce government staff and give more powers to the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which reports to Elon Musk.